James abercrombie burden



darteil gieten @anni mijn.

JAMES ABERCROMBIE BURDEN, oE'rnoY, NEW YORK.

`Letters Patent No. 93,857, dated August 17, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTUR OI 'IIIG-BLOOMS FROM 4CAST-IRON.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name.

To all whom t'tmay concem Be it known that I, JAMES ABERCROMBIE Bun- DEN, of Troy, in" the State of New York, have made an invention of certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Iron; and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description and specification of my said invention.

The said invention relates to the apparatus for manufacturing pig-blooms, or blooms composed of cast-iron and iron-ore, or other material intercalated with the cast-iron in the process of castind. Previous to this invention it has been customary to .deliver the ground ore, or other pulverulent material, upon the layers of iron iu the moulds into which it is cast, by means of a spout or shoe, which delivers the material ata substantially uniform speed. On theother hand, the speed at which the ser es of moulds'. is caused to traverse, is frequently varied during casting, to Suit the speed with which the molten metal flows from 1 the furnace. Hence, whenthe vmoulds are traversed rapidly, each receives too small a quantity of the pulverulent ymaterial for the quantity of iron, and when the moulds are traversed slowly, each receives too large a quantity of material for the quantity of iron, and consequently the constitution of the pigblooms produced is very irregular.

The object of my invention is to' obviate the irregularities -in the constitution of the pig-blooms, resulting from a variation in the speed at which the moulds are traversed, andto insureV substantial uniformity in the constitution of the pig-blooms manufactured.

The said invention consists of the combination of the spout fondelivering the molten iron and the traversing seriesof moulds, with an apparatus for delivering the ore or other mixing-material, in regulated quantities, in such manner that the quantity-of mixing-material delivered to the moulds is regulated automatically, in proportion, or thereabout, to the speed with which the moulds are traversed, the. quantity delivered increasing with an increase of said speed, and decreasing with a decrease of said speed.

The iuventionconsists, further, of the combination of the said spout, traversing series of moulds, and regulating-apparatus, with a device for varying the relative speeds of the regulating-apparatus and traversing series ofmoulds, so that the constitution of A, the pig-bloom may be varied, as found expedient.

One mode in which the invention has been successfully practised is represented in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l represents a plan ot' an apparatus embodying the invention, and with some of the moulds removed from the turn-table;

Figure 2 represents a vertical section of one of the moulds,l with the crane-yoke applied to it;

Figure 3 represents a plan of one of -the moulds detached from the turn-table;

Figure 4 represents an end view of one of the moulds and crane-yoke;

Figure 5 represents a central section of the appa- `rat-us, with some of the moulds removed; and

Figures 6 and 7 represent enlarged views of portions of theregulating-apparatus.

I prefer to' construct thetraveisirg series of moulds y in the manner described in'a preceding pat-ent granted to me, that is to say, with the moulds of box-form,

and removable from the mechanism by which they are caused to traverse..

vI also prefer to employ a turn-table, to support and traverse the moulds. y l

I have, therefore, represented my present invention as applied'to a traversing series of moulds constructed and traversed upon thoseplans.

.The spout A, for the delivery of the molten metal,

is supported at a suiiicient distance above the base of the apparatus, to permit .the traversing series of. moulds B vB'B to traverse beneath it.

The box-moulds B, are caused to traverse under the spout A, by arranging them upon a turn-table, '1), a sufdcient number of moulds being provided to'cover the turn-table, (as indicated by the. radial lines iu g. 1,) when the sexies is ready tore'ceive the `molten Each hox-mou1d,.B, consists of a box of cast-iron,

having in this example four mould-cavities a a a a, for the pig-bloom, and the sides of said cavities are constructed slightly daring, so that the pig-blooms will readily discharge themselves when the box-mould is tnr'ned upside down. y

In this example the moulds are combined, and caused to traverse'by means of the turn-table D, upon which the whole series -is supported; and, as this table is circular, the box-moulds are made of a wedgeform, so as to t upon and cover the surface of the turn-table. i

Each box-mould is fitted with two trunnions c c, to which the hooks of a crank-yoke, E, can be applied, and, in order to facilitate the turning over of the boxmould, these trunnions are arranged below the centres of the moulds, so that when they are lled with the pig-blooms, they tend to upset when suspended on Y the crane-yoke.

Each box-mould is constructed with a bridge-piece, m, or lip', which, when the moulds are set in juxtaposition, bridges over the crevice between the sides of two adjacent moulds, and prevents the molten iron from running into it.

The box-moulds may be retained in their positions d', beltg, shafts H I, the hevelledwheels 7), h', which at its upper side, are introduced successively into the end 'of the box-mould, and holds the mould, top sideup, while it is being hoisted by theerane.

The ground ore or other mixing-material that is to he applied to, or mixed With the iron in the formation ofthe pig-blooms, is discharged in regulatedquant-ities from the hopper' F, which is supported by a suitable traine-Work, that may be constructed in any etiicient manner, and is not, therefore, represented in the drawings. The delivery-mouth of this hopper is fitted With a revolving distributing-cylinder, G, having a series of cells formed in its periphery. Thisdistributing-cylinder'is lcaused to revolve at a speed proportioned to thespeedat which the series of moulds is caused to traverse beneath the spout 'A for the molten metal, by connecting said eylinderavith theturn-table, through the intervention of the cog-wheels b b', the pulleys d connect those shafts, land the' bevelled pinion and wheel which' connect the shaft I with the turn-table I), the bevelled pinion -being secured to the shaft I, andthe bevelled wheel w being secured to the under side of the tum-table.

When the distributing-cylinder is turned, the cells,

cavity of the hopper, and become filled with the niaterial contained therein, while the cells at the lower side ot' said cylinder successively discharge the material upon the chute J, by which it is -condncted to the traversing-moulds. In this combination of apparatus the speed of delivery of the material from the hopper depends upon the speed of the distributing-cylinder; and, as the latter is combined Witlua series of moulds', as before described, the speed of delivery of the material from the hopper varies With that of the moulds, and is regulated in correspondence therewith. l

In order toinsure' the passage of the material down the chute, the latter maybe constructed and operated like the shoe of a mill-hopper, or it may have a jarring motion imparted to it by means of revolving tappets. In order that the relative speed of' delivery of the material from the hopper F may be varied, the pulleys el d', of the belt g, are made cone-pnlleys, so that the speed of the belt g may be changed by shifting it l upon said .pulleys If the barrels of these cone-pulleys be made of conical form, the belt may be shifted, by a suitable fork,

while the apparatus is in operation.

The combined apparatus may be conveniently driven by means of a small upright steam-engine, L, whose crank and fly-wheel are secured to the shaft H.

The apparatus thus, described may be greatly varied without ceasing to embody the principle-of my invention; thus, for example, in place of using a tuin-table to traverse the moulds under the spout for the metal, I propose, in some cases, to use a reciprocating carriage, moving to and fro under the spout in a straight line, or to combine the box-moulds by links, so as to form them into a chain of box-moulds,whicl1 is moved under the metal spout.

The turn-table or carriage may bel moved in any suitable manner, and the form` and size of the moulds may be varied, as found expedient.. v

The distributing-apparatus also may be greatly varied; thus, for example, an elevator, suoli as is used for moving grain in mills, may be combined with the traversing series of moulds, so as to deliver the mixingmaterial from a receptacle beneath the chute J, upon that chute in regulated quantities; or an endless-screw Y oonveyer may be arranged to deliver' said material in regulated quant-ities.

That is claimed as the invention to be secured by Letters Patent, is

- The combination ofthe spout forthe molten metal,V the traversing series of moulds, and the apparatus for delivering the mixing-material in regulated quantities, substantially as before set forth.

Also, the combination-ot' the spout for deliveling the molten metal, the traversing series of moulds, the a1tl paratns for delivering the mixing-material in regulated quantities, and a device for varying the relative speed of the said delivery-apparatus, substantially as before -set forth.

In testimony whereof', I have hereto set my hand, this 16th day of April, A. D. 1869. JAS. A. BURDEN.

Witnesses:

E. S. Rnwwron, W. L. Bauman. 

